1. Technical Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a pressure threshold sensor for sensing when hand pressure applied to a hand held implement exceeds a desired level. In particular, the invention relates to a pressure threshold alarm for alerting an individual having an impaired sense of feel in the hand, that they are applying excessive pressure in grasping an instrument and should release that pressure in order to avoid damaging their hand.
2. Prior Background Art
A person may lose a sense of feeling in his extremities and still be able to walk and manipulate hand held items. There may be many causes for such a condition, one of the most notorious being Hansen's Disease. Hansen's Disease is more familiarly known as Leprosy. However, a person does not have to suffer a life threatening infliction to have impaired tactile function of the hands; an injury or operation can result in such a problem.
A person suffering such impairment of their tactile senses may understandably hurt themselves when their hand or foot impacts on an object or they strike a projection or a sharp edge and cut themselves. It is a little known fact, however, that a person whose tactile senses are impaired can harm themselves or an object by the manner in which they grasp the object.
In applying pressure to an object, for example a simple fountain pen or the like, a person with impaired tactile sense will grasp the item with sufficient pressure to prevent it slipping from his grasp. However, in the course of using the object, or implement, the person's grip tends to unconsciously increase. The person has little or no tactile feedback to
The portable sensor also includes second means for initiating a second signal output from the hand pressure sensor when the hand gripping pressure applied to the sensor is less than a second selected pressure level.
The invention is also claimed as a hand pressure sensor for use with a hand held implement by a person whose tactile senses are impaired, the sensor being produced by the process steps of:
selecting a pressure sensor which outputs a signal representative of the pressure applied to the sensor when the sensor is grasped by a person's hand; PA1 providing the sensor with means for inhibiting the output of the signal until the pressure induced by grasping the sensor exceeds a selected value; PA1 coupling the sensor to a first selected hand held implement to be grasped by a person's hand as the person's hand grasps the implement; PA1 providing sensible signal means for outputting a sensible signal responsive to the signal output by the sensor; and PA1 coupling the output signal from the sensor to the sensible signal means.
Further process steps contributing to the innovative device include selecting the hand held implement to be a pen; and coupling the sensible signal means to the pen.
The process step of coupling the sensor to a first selected hand held implement may further comprise the step of removable coupling the sensor to the first selected implement; and the process steps include the further steps of: removing the sensor from the first selected implement; and removably coupling the sensor to a second selected hand held implement.